Exception To The Rule
by That Old Black Magic
Summary: First part in the From The Heart series. Sam finds Jack chatting to another woman. But he comes up with his own way to tell her he's interested in her. Little bit of JS fluff. Oneshot.


A/N: This is my first ever SG1 fic. I've done quite a few Bones fics but never Stargate. So forgive any OOC. This is the first part of my From The Heart series, all centred around quotes. Can be read as a stand-alone or as part of the series. This one is based on the quote from When Harry Met Sally.

**Harry Burns**: Because no man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive.

* * *

Sam set out to find Colonel O'Neill. He was supposed to be at a mission briefing twenty minutes ago. She'd been ordered by Hammond to go find her commanding officer. He was probably hiding out somewhere, eating doughnuts and watching 'The Simpsons'.

She searched round the base and asked many people if they had seen him. They hadn't. An idea hit Sam. He might be in the last place she would expect. Her office. She wound her way down the corridors until she reached her office.

And there he was. Casual as you like, leaning against her wall with his arm up and legs crossed. She was about to call out to him when she noticed him gesturing with his free hand.

She held back her words and watched silently from the shadows. Who could he be talking to?

Then Sam saw her. A tall, long-legged beauty. With a strong jaw line, beautiful long auburn hair and vivid brown eyes, Sam couldn't help but feel a little inferior. She knew Jack liked tall women with pretty faces.

She wasn't exactly small, standing an elegant 5'9" but this woman had to be at least six foot two. With astounding good looks. Sam didn't think herself particularly pretty in general, but she felt downright plain next to this woman.

What didn't help was the way Jack was acting to her. His body language told Sam he was interested in this woman. He was gently flirting with her and laughing at her jokes. She laughed at his jokes too, her giggles tinkling in the air. Even her laughter was pretty.

The woman said she had to go and Jack gently kissed her on the cheek. Sam didn't know whether to be angry or sad. And here she was, foolishly thinking he was interested in her.

The woman turned away. And Jack turned to head in Sam's direction when he saw her.

"How long you been there Carter?" he asked, something close to a growl in his voice.

"Just arrived Sir," she answered smartly.

"So what's up?" he asked, beginning to walk with her.

"You're twenty five minutes late for a briefing," she replied quietly.

"Ah shit. At least I didn't miss our tea party with the Go'uld," he jested, smiling at his second-in-command.

She smiled weakly back. Jack didn't know what to make of Carter's strange behaviour. Was she annoyed because he'd been chatting to another woman? It wasn't his fault he couldn't have her.

"Who was that you were with?" Sam asked gently.

"That's Major Kate Watermann. We used to go to high school together. I only recently found out she was part of the SGC. We bumped into each other just there," he said, looking curiously at Sam.

"She was very beautiful," Sam commented, trying to sound nonchalant but coming off rather sad.

"Yeah," was the only answer Sam received. _She's nothing compared to you Sam_.

Her heart plummeted. "So you're old friends then?"

"Not exactly. I wouldn't call us friends so much as acquaintances Carter," he answered, working out that Carter had been there a lot longer than she had let on.

"And why not friends?" Sam knew she must sound impertinent but she couldn't help herself.

"Because no man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive," Jack said, purely to gage Sam's reaction. Kate was attractive, sure. But she would never be what Carter was to him. Carter was his one and only. The one he could never have.

Sam's heart had just hit rock bottom. Her and Jack were friends. That obviously meant he didn't find her attractive. She fiddled with her short blonde hair, in an attempt to disguise her obvious disappointment and hurt.

They were almost at the briefing room when Sam found the courage to say, "It's a good thing you and I are friends then huh Sir?"

"Yeah. But remember Carter," he said as they reached the board room. "There's always an exception to the rule."

Sam looked up to see Jack smiling at her and she grinned back. So he did find her attractive. He placed a gentle hand on her arm to guide her into the room before they closed the door.


End file.
